Surprise
by rememberalways
Summary: Castle gets a small surprise at one of his book signings. Future family cuteness. One shot, complete.


A/N: We won't talk about that in-progress fic that I haven't touched in months. We'll just enjoy this, yes? :)

Not beta-ed (.. is that a word?) so all mistakes, like that one, are mine and mine alone. Usual disclaimers apply. Broke college kids, such as myself, cannot possibly create something as awesome as AWM & Co. (Maybe some, but not this one.)

* * *

She stands in line for close to an hour, just waiting for him to sign her copy of his book.

She's in a summer dress to her knees, sandals on her feet. The floral print on the dress makes her porcelain skin glow. Her brown hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail with a barrette keeping her bangs in place. She's got the book clutched to her chest like her favorite blanket while she keeps a small smile on her face, patiently waiting.

From her view, she can see all the looks she's getting. She might be small, but she's pretty observant. She's last in line – that was the plan – but many of people in line before her knew who she was, and as she gets closer and closer to the table where he's sitting, it's clear that recognition is on the rise from who's still around. However, she's determined to go unseen, to be invisible, at least by him. She makes it a point to hide behind the taller woman in front of her.

It's different for her to be here. She's never come to one of these things before and stayed for a long time. It was usually just to drop him off or stay for a minute just to take some photos and then leave out the back door. That makes this all the more special.

She inches closer to the front of the line – five people in front of her turn into just one and as that person steps forward, she has no one to hide behind anymore. Turning her head to the side, she checks to make sure her partner in crime is still there, keeping a close eye on her. She clutches the book tighter, but not in nerves, in a sweet anticipation. She's so excited to see him.

She's so excited to see her daddy.

When her mom smiles at her from a few feet away, gives her a quick nod, she looks back to the table where the tall woman is just finishing up. She sees him smile politely as the woman walks away and then his eyes fall to her –

His smile grows in volumes.

"Hi, daddy!"

He's out of his chair and around the table, sweeping his daughter up into his arms quickly and holding her tight.

"Hi sweetheart," he responds, dropping kisses all over her face, earning giggles from the squirming five year old. "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to surprise you!" she exclaims, looking over her shoulder for her mother. "Surprise!"

He spots his wife then. Kate's all smiles as she makes her way to them. She's at his side quickly and drops a chaise kiss to his lips.

"Surprise," Kate repeats softly. "It was the word of the week in school and of course, we just _had_ to try it out."

"Are you surprised, daddy?" his daughter asks, smiling so proudly, his heart melts.

"Very surprised," he tells her, adjusting her on his hip. "You brought my book with you?"

"Well that's what you 'posed to be doing here. Silly daddy."

He smiles at his daughter as she nuzzles her head into his neck, a small yawn escaping her mouth.

"What prompted this little adventure?"

"We missed you," Kate tells him simply, with a shrug of her shoulders, like it's completely normal for her to hop on a plane at the start of the weekend to Louisiana just to see him on a book tour.

"Well, I happened to miss you both, very much," he responds, wrapping his arm around his wife, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" she asks, looking up at him through dark eyelashes and he wonders if she's gotten prettier since the last time he saw her.

"I'm all yours," he tells her. "Wherever you want to go, I'll follow."

"What else is new?" she laughs, glancing at their daughter, who's slowly falling asleep in her daddy's arms.

"We followed you this time, daddy."

"That you did, sweetheart."

He tilts his head towards his wife, who's smiling so brilliantly. She's so happy to see him, she can barely contain it.

"We can go get some coffee now. Sound good?"

Kate sighs, leans into him. "Hmm, sounds perfect."

* * *

**Penny for your thoughts? Let me know! :)**


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